College Day

Central seniors advise ninth graders

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A student’s choices in high school can shape the years after they graduate in more ways than one. Sure, many students form lifelong relationships with their classmates and teachers, but even more so, each student is impacted by their academic performance and the effort they put into their classes.

Two of the three high schools in the Valley Stream Central High School District house grades seven through 12, but the two schools on Fletcher Avenue split the six grades in half. Memorial Junior High School is home to seventh through ninth graders, while Central High School features students in grades 10 through 12. Despite the fact that ninth graders are in a junior high school, they are in fact high school students and all of their grades count toward their official transcript.

In an effort to push ninth graders to become more involved and take their class work seriously, seniors from Central came to speak to them on Oct. 10 as part of Memorial’s fifth annual College Day.

Approximately 30 seniors walked down Fletcher Avenue to speak to ninth grade English classes, discussing topics such as extra curricular activities and Advanced Placement classes.

“In ninth grade you want to make sure that you don’t slack off,” said senior Nicolas Rosario. “You don’t want to start off your high school transcript with 70s or 60s. You want to make sure you have high 80s and 90s as your average so you could stay consistent throughout your high school career.”

Renee Thomas, a fellow senior, discussed the importance of higher level courses. “AP classes are very important,” she said, “because not only do they weigh your average, but they also show the colleges that you’re up for a challenge and you’re more competitive.”

Memorial and Central guidance counselors also participated in the discussion, going over high school transcripts and showing ninth graders how their grades will affect their college admissions process.

“College administrators are looking for that well-rounded student,” said Robert Santoro, a counselor at Memorial. “They want to see that they’re involved, they want to see that they’re challenging themselves with the most rigorous programs.”

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